Vulnerable

He took me to another wing of the castle. It was a long walk through a maze of corridors. All along the walls were tapestries depicting different battle scenes in brilliant colors, many paintings and weapons decorating the wall. If only I had the time to admire each one, but my bodyguard moved fast, and I had to stretch my legs to keep up. One could easily get lost in there.

“Why are you so slow? Do you want me to carry you?” He stopped so abruptly that I collided with him. His face showed nothing but contempt for me. I was sure he would snap my neck if given half the chance.

“No, s-sorry, sir. I will walk faster.” I hated these stupid heels.

He grunted a non-reply and carried on. We turned a corner and went to an enormous door with intricate engravings on it.

“Enter!” the now familiar voice of the Lycan boomed through the door. His voice instilled fear and instant obedience. Who would dare disobey him?

My bodyguard (for want of a better description) opened the door and pushed me in. He turned around and left. Shaking, I stood in the doorway, totally freaked out about what lay ahead. Staring into the depths of the enormous room, I didn’t see him standing there in the dark at first. But he saw me.

“What are you standing there for? Come here, Erina!” His voice lashed at me.

As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, I saw him clearly. His dark hair was damp and slicked back from his broad forehead. He wore a dark red velvet robe that was loosely knotted at the waist. His legs and feet were bare.

My heels sank into the plush carpet as I stumbled towards him. I noticed the giant bed that took up a third of the room. He had pulled back the heavy damask covers, as if about to get into bed. Was this what he wanted me for? I prayed to all the gods that I was wrong.

“Take off that ridiculous dress,” he commanded and confirmed my worst fear.

I shook so badly I couldn’t get it off fast enough. He was impatient. In one stride, he was beside me and ripped it off, leaving me bare before him.

He looked at me coldly. “I haven’t even touched you and yet you look as if you could shit yourself.”

It was an accurate description of how he made me feel. I looked down at my feet, still in the awful heels.

“Take them off. It seems I must tell you everything. Can you not think for yourself?” his words burned me. At that moment, he sounded like my father.

Who could think when your heart was pounding in your ears? I sank to my knees to take off the heels and resisted massaging my poor, aching feet. He wouldn’t approve of it. I was sure.

I stood as quickly as I could and kept my eyes averted. It was bad enough I was naked and vulnerable before him. I didn’t want to look at him, afraid of what I might see in those gray orbs.

“Look at me, Erina Saul!”

Please, no.

To disobey was dangerous. His fingers closed around my jaw, forcing my head up and I had no choice but to meet his glaring stare. My arms rushed to cover my breasts, an instinctive reaction.

“I hate disobedience. Tell me, Erina Saul, why are you here?” His thunderous tone matched the storm in his eyes.

My lips shook so badly it was difficult to form words. “B-because you bought me?” What did he want from me? I looked at the cruel twist of his lips, the way his nostrils flared. Anywhere but those impaling eyes.

He closed his eyes for a second. His broad chest expanded underneath the robe, giving me a glimpse of hard muscle. He could easily crush my jaw with his huge hand, and I was terrified he might. My eyes teared up.

He brought his face so close I saw the veins in his eyes and his breath fanned my face. “Were you sent here to kill me?”

“What? N-no!” Kill him? I couldn’t even kill a fly. And that was the reason I was a disgrace to my family. Why would he think that?

He let go of my face and I staggered back, tripped over my discarded heels, and landed on my butt.

“How were you even captured? You, a hunter, one of the infamous Saul family. Unless this was a ploy, a trap.” He hulked over me. “Answer me, huntress.”

“No, I’m not a huntress, M-master. I’m useless.” A disgrace. I heard my father’s voice in my head. “You’re no good to us. Are you even my daughter?”

I yelped when he reached down and pulled me up with my arm. His large hand encircled my throat as he stared into my eyes. It was like he was staring into the depths of my soul. It made me weak, boneless. Only his hand around my throat kept me upright.

“What are you, Erina Saul?” he asked, his tone so low I could hardly hear. The gray eyes narrowed, searching my face for answers. It was a question I couldn’t answer, because I didn’t know.

What was happening to me? I reached out to him, touched his face, felt the softness of his trimmed beard. I’ve lost my mind. Did he lean into my palm? A rumbling sound, like distant thunder, came from his chest and his eyes closed. But in a flash, the moment was gone, and he hauled me off my feet.

The storm returned to his face as he pushed me up against a wall. His lips parted to reveal gleaming, sharp teeth. “Don’t touch me if you want to live, Erina. What games are you playing?” His body kept me captive against the wall, threatening to crush me. I felt every part of him against me and it terrified me, but there was this strange sensation happening in my belly. It felt like a tightly wound spring that was about to snap. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t playing any games. But I couldn’t find the words because he was too close. Too close.

His breath was on my neck, causing my skin to break out in goosebumps. Teeth scraped the sensitive skin. “I will use your body, huntress, for my pleasure. Until I am tired of it.” He plucked my hands from my breasts and pinned them to my sides.  “But you will not touch me.”